SARATOGA — On October 8, female students in 9th and 10th grade from six different high schools gathered at the 2022 Saratoga Builders Association’s Home Showcase to show off their building skills. The girls built 4’ x 8’ lean-to-sheds, which were then auctioned off with the proceeds donated to two charities and the Workforce Development Coalition. 

The construction trades present great opportunities today for all students, including those who may not have considered pursuing a construction-related career, like women. The building teams at the event were led by area females in the building industry with the support of local construction professionals. The participating schools included: Corinth, Greenwich, Mechanicville, Northville, Schuylerville and Stillwater. 

The 2022 Saratoga Showcase of Homes is continuing this weekend, October 15 and 16. Now celebrating its 26th year, this annual community event has contributed over $1.4 million dollars to local charities. Proceeds from the Saratoga Showcase of Homes benefit Rebuilding Together Saratoga County (www.rtsaratoga.org) and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties (www.glensfallshabitat.org). For more details on the 2022 Saratoga Showcase of Homes event, please visit www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com, or check them out on Facebook.

The Saratoga Builders Association, Inc. (SBA) is a specialized professional trade association representing an industry basic to the wellbeing and economy of the people of Saratoga County. Its membership includes residential and commercial builders, developers, remodelers, building material suppliers, sub-contractors, financial institutions, architects, engineers, realtors, attorneys and other industry professionals. SBA is committed to the continued growth, prosperity and quality of life in Saratoga County. For more information, visit saratogabuilders.org. 

SCHENECTADY — SUNY Schenectady will bring education and training in manufacturing and healthcare directly to students and local employers through two mobile units. The college received funding in 2021 to procure two mobile units, “classrooms on wheels” that can travel to partner sites to conveniently provide on-site training for the future workforce. The college has begun the work of building the units and is looking to partner with regional advanced manufacturing companies and healthcare providers to ensure that training and equipment available on the units reflects the “shop floor needs” of industry. SUNY Schenectady has also initiated a funding campaign to develop support for operational expenses of both units. National Grid is the first industry partner to provide funding to support the advanced manufacturing unit with a generous donation of $25,000.  

SUNY Schenectady’s Workforce Development and Community Education Division will use the labs to bring education/training opportunities into the community, providing career-focused learning opportunities in technical, professional and interpersonal competencies to meet the needs of today’s employers.

 “Our new mobile classrooms are an exciting avenue for us to bring healthcare and manufacturing education and training wherever it’s needed in our community,” said school President Dr. Steady Moono. “Already, we provide customized training for local employers and now, we can take that a step further by providing focused training on site for students and employers in the Capital Region. We are extremely grateful to National Grid for investing in SUNY Schenectady by funding the advanced manufacturing mobile unit.”

 Both units will consist of state-of-the-art classrooms which will seat 12 students, and will be self-powered, climate controlled, and Wi-Fi enabled. The Advanced Manufacturing unit will include an AutoCAD; 3D Printer; Mini-Lathe; Collaborative Robot; Amatrol Skill Boss; Lock Out/Tag Out, and computer workstations. The units will also have modular training equipment that can be swapped out to fit the need of the class being taught.

 Through these units, the college will have the capability to offer healthcare training in: phlebotomy; EKG; CPR; leadership; and communication, along with essential healthcare skills; documentation; trauma informed care; healthcare integration; safety/ergonomics for healthcare workers; anatomy and physiology and medical coding; and social determinants of health. Manufacturing workshops and training could include those in: cyber security awareness; customer service suite; leadership in business; and supply chain/logistics.

“As the energy landscape changes we need tools that will bring new ideas and groundbreaking innovation to get us to a more sustainable future,” said Laurie Poltynski, National Grid Regional Director. “This new mobile SUNY Schenectady classroom will support those new ideas and attract the workforce needed to shape the future of energy in the Capital Region and beyond.”

The mobile classrooms, trucks, and equipment will be housed in a garage on the SUNY Schenectady campus. The college expects to begin using the units in Spring 2023.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Saturday, October 22, Youth2– Youth Helping Youth will be hosting a Community Care PopUp -“Books for a Better World.” The Book Drive will take place at the 112 Spring Street in the parking lot. The drive will begin at 12 p.m. and continue until about 2 p.m., rain or shine.

The youth group are looking to collect teen and children’s books surrounding themes of diversity, positive racial relations, peace/conflict resolution, community building, women’s rights, LGBTQIA + rights, environmental action and banned or challenged books. Although, any children/teen books with positive messages are appreciated. For more information on the drive, or on Youth Helping Youth visit www.youthsquared.org or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/YouthSquared. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Three dedicated Saratoga Springs High School musicians were selected as participants and/or alternates for the 2022 NYSSMA All-State Performing Ensemble in Rochester. These students were selected out of approximately 6,500 total All-State auditions across the state.

The Saratoga Springs High School musicians that were selected are: Andre Culpepper-Wehr (Jazz Vibraphone), Amelia Safran (Double Bass) and Evan Weatherwax (Tuba).

Students selected for a NYSSMA All-State ensemble successfully performed a rigorous level 6 All-State audition at their local NYSSMA festival in the Spring.  The students are invited to rehearse on Dec. 1-3 with a performance on Dec. 4, 2022, at the Eastman School of Music. This is one of the finest musical achievements and recognitions for a high school musician in New York State.

For more about Saratoga Springs School District visit www.saratogaschools.org.

SARATOGA — On Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Waldorf School of Saratoga in collaboration with the Pitney Meadows Community Farm will be hosting their third annual “Jump Into Fall” event. This event is a family gathering that celebrates the season and raises money for the farm and the Waldorf School.

The day is chock-full of events like sheep shearing, a drum circle, a scavenger hunt around the farm, a hay jump, music and stories and many more interactive activities for children. Healthy snacks from some local restaurants will also be available. Admission is free, just pay to park. To learn more about the event or how to become a sponsor, visit: jumpintofallsaratoga.com. 

The Pitney Meadows Community Farm’s mission is to celebrate and explore agricultural education, healthy food production and recreation. They offer a broad array of opportunities to engage with the land and the Saratoga community, including a community garden, a community supported agriculture program, education programs and an accessible trail system that is open to visitors dawn to dusk. In addition, the farm donates more than 20,000 pounds of produce annually to food pantries and other social service organizations in the region. 

For more information on Pitney Meadows, visit: www.pitneymeadowscommunityfarm.org. 

Greenfield CENTER — Greenfield Elementary School hosted “Be Who You Are Day” last week, inspired by The New York Times bestselling author Todd Parr’s book.

Parr’s  book titled “Be Who You Are” encourages children to be proud of their unique qualities.  Following this sentiment, Greenfield Elementary students completed projects, including drawing self portraits, to celebrate their individual traits.

For more visit facebook.com/greenfieldelementaryschool.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — As the Saratoga Springs City School District continues to battle transportation staff shortages, the Board of Education and Superintendent Michael Patton have recently upped the ante for prospective employees. This includes an incentive to any district employee who refers someone to a bus driving position – previously the referral based program was only open to those already working in transportation.

“When you think about what it takes logistically to plan routing close to 6,000 students a day, it’s an incredible effort that our transportation department does and when we’re down staff, obviously, that has an impact on the entire system,” said Superintendent Patton. The district has over 325 daily routes, which all need coverage on a daily basis.

To ensure the district can handle this demand, the Board of Education voted unanimously to double the monetary incentive it offers for referrals from $250 to $500 upon hiring. District workers who refer a driver will receive $100 on the date the referred person is hired and then an additional $400 after that driver has been on the job for six months. Currently, the district needs about 10 more drivers, according to Patton.

To further this effort, drivers who are willing to train new employees will receive an increase of $4 per hour, up from $2. And drivers who cover extracurricular activities (like sports games or transportation for school clubs) will also receive an additional $4 per hour. Entry level pay for both regular and substitute drivers is just over $21 per hour. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In school districts throughout the area, school resource officers have seemingly been busy, for better or worse. On September 18, an investigation was conducted in Ballston Spa by the Sheriff’s office in conjunction with the school resource officer. After receiving a tip, police identified a student that made a school shooting threat on the popular online platform Snapchat. While law enforcement determined that the person who sent the message did not have the means to carry out the threat, nor was that threat credible, it was still a nervy time for school officials. Just eight days later, the school resource officer employed in Watervliet High School caught whiff of a potential gang-related shooting that was to take place at the local football game, a convenient meeting point. Out of “an abundance of caution” the game was moved to a neutral location in Schuylerville, according to Watervliet Police Chief Joseph Centanni.

The debate as to whether school resource officers belong in Saratoga’s schools, specifically their  elementary schools, is seemingly unavoidable – the conversation has been had at every board of education meeting as of late. While this isn’t a new debate, it’s an important one and something that is on the forefront of district parent’s minds. At the last school board meeting, the Town of Wilton made a generous offer to ease the minds of parents that want a police presence at their children’s schools. 

Ray O’Connor, a representative of the Town of Wilton offered, on behalf of the town, to fund a fulltime SRO at Dorothy Nolan Elementary, which is located within Wilton’s limits. The town offered to pay the salary ($75,000 annually) for the next five years for an officer to be located at Dorothy Nolan – but ultimately the decision to add the SRO is up to the board of education. This offer echoes Saratoga’s Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino’s statement last month that, “If tomorrow morning the board of education were to say, ‘We would like to have one or more additional school resource officers in any or all of the elementary schools,’ the Department of Public Safety would provide trained SRO’s regardless of the question of cost.”  

With the town of Wilton and Saratoga both offering to pay for the SRO’s, budgetary concerns don’t seem to be what’s halting the employment of these trained officers. After Ray O’Connor’s offer, the board voted 5-4 in favor of ultimately delaying the decision to add SRO’s – that is at least until NYSIR, an insurance company for the district that provides guidance about minimum requirements for school safety necessary to prevent legal liability, makes their recommendation later this month. Importantly, in a previous audit, NYSIR made a recommendation that Saratoga’s high school and middle school should employ an SRO, which was then obliged by the board. 

Those against the recommendation, though, claim that SRO’s make the students more anxious and aware of potential violence, rather than giving them the feeling of security that the officer is intended to provide. They cite things like the “weapons effect” a social phenomena where violence begets violence. Those in favor claim that SRO’s are trained personnel and provide a first line of defense, and that party politics nor ideology should get in the way of student safety, especially if the respective towns (Saratoga and Wilton) are offering to pay to fill the positions. However, if the last audit can be extrapolated here, NYSIR’s recommendation will ultimately trump the opinions of local parents and the school board will follow the insurance company’s advice. The next audit is later this month and will set the precedent moving forward.